011: humiliated

Lyra – POV

Ronon’s voice sliced through the silence like a dagger dipped in venom.

“What are you shy about?” he scoffed, arms folded as he leaned Against the wall. “Don’t you do it Naked with your lovers?”

The mockery in his tone clung to my skin like the icy droplets stIll dripping from my hair. My face flamed with Humiliation. And I instinctively turned my head away, jaw clenched. Throat tight. I didn’t Speak. What could I say that would matter to them? The truth had become Worthless in their eyes the moment they laid them on me.

Kael didn’t wait for me to respond. He tossed my still-damp dress at my feet. “Put it on. Now.”

The fabric slapped the floor, heavy with moisture, and I crouched quickly, clutching it to my chest. My hands shook as I pulled it over my head, the cold clinging to me like punishment. The wetness soaked into my skin again, making me shiver. But anything. anything, was better than standing there, stripped bare beneath their cruel stares.

Kael’s eyes darkened further as he stepped forward, sniffing the air like a wolf catching an unfamiliar scent.

His gaze snapped back to mine. “Did you use Dax’s lotion?”

I blinked, startled. “My skin was dry… and I—” My voice cracked, shrinking beneath the weight of his glare. He didn’t want a reason. He wanted guilt.

“That lotion wasn’t yours,” he said flatly. “None of it is.”

Ronon said nothing, just gave a low. Condescending chuckle and walked off. The sound echoing in the walls like a slap.

Kael lingered a moment Longer, looking me over with a sneer of disdain. Before turning on his heel and stalking Back to his room. The silence that followed was louder than any insult. I Remained where I was. the Hem of my dress dripping onto the floor.

I waited until I was sure I was alone again, and only Then did I let myself Collapse slowly to the floor.

The stone was unforgiving, stealing what little warmth remained in my bones. The dress clung to me like a second skin, icy and damp, While the air bit at My exposed legs and arms. I curled in on myself for warmth, arms wrapped tight around my knees, chin Tucked in, tremblingg not just from the cold but from the layered weight of shame, helplessness… and a Building sense of silent fury.

They hated me. Not just because they believed I had wronged them, but because they wanted to hate me. It gave them permission to punish me.

The door opened again. I didn’t bother looking up.

Footsteps approached. Slower this time. Lighter.

“Lyra?”

I lifted my head.

Dax stood a few feet away. His gaze softening as it landed on me. His eyes flicked over my soaked form, the bluish tint in my lips. My trembling hands. Concern etched into his features.

“What happened?” His voice was quiet, not demanding, just curious, maybe even a little alarmed.

Before I could answer, Ronon and Kael Appeared again, their presence looming.

“This bitch thought it’d be a good idea to play dress-up with our things,” Kael spat with a grin. “Washed her filthY clothes, used Ronon’s towel, and slathered herself in your lotion, Dax.”

He said it like a joke, but his eyes burned with something darker.

Dax’s smile vanished instantly. “You made her wear damp clothes?” he asked, turning toward them, his voice razor-sharp.

Kael shrugged. “She wanted to be clean. Let her suffer the consequences.”

“It’s the middle of winter,” Dax snapped. “She doesn’t have a wolf to keep her warm. Do you want her to get sick?”

Ronon crossed his arms. “You’re getting soft, Dax. You remember what she did, don’t you?”

“That’s just it,” Dax said, his voice firm. “We don’t know. We don’t have proof yet. We’re acting like she’s guilty before we even know the whole truth.”

“You saw what the Elders said,” Ronon growled. “You know she’s not iNnocent.”

“Maybe not. But freezing her half to death isn’t justice. It’s cruelty.”

An uncomfortable silence stretched between the three of them.

Kael finally muttered sometthing under his breath and stalked off. Ronon lingered a moment. jaw clenched, then turned away too.

Dax sighed. Rubbing a hand over his face. Then he disappeared into the hall.

Moments later, he returned with a folded t-shirt, a pair of shorts, and a thick wool blanket. He held them out to me without saying a word.

I hesitated.

“Take them,” he said. Softer this time. “Before you freeze.”

With trembling hands, I accepted the clothes and blanket. There was no warmth in his tone. No smile or kindness. But the act itself. The fact that someone saw me. was enough to bring tears to the back of my throat. I blinked them away before they could fall.

“Thank you,” I whispered, voice rough from disuse.

“Change,” Dax said. Gesturing toward the hallway, but I shook my head. Modesty didn’t matter now. Not anymore. I was beyond shame.

I peeled the dresss off slowly, teeth chattering as I pulled on the dry shirt and shorts. They were big, Dax was tall. His frame broad, but the warmth of the fabric was immmediate. I wrapped the blanket tightly around my shoulders, letting it envelope me.

Dax watched quietly, then turned away and walked to the kitchen. He returned with a flask, shook it, then frowned. “It’s empty?”

I nodded.

He hesitated, then went to the liquor shelf and poured a small shot of clear liquid. Vodka, from the smell.

“Drink this,” he said, handing it to me.

I took it without question and swallowed. The burn seared down my throat. Harsh and foreign, but then it bloomed in my chest like fire. Warming me from the inside out.

It was my first time drinking, but I didn’t tell him that. He didn’t ask.

Kael’s voice sliced through the temporary peace. “Hey. Don’t go getting ideas just because Dax’s babying you. That vodka’s not yours.”

I said nothing, eyes trained on the floor.

“And I heard you had a taste for this stuff. Isn’t that how you ended up with Malrevok and those other bastards? Party girl gone rogue?”

The insult stung, but not for the reasons he thought. Not because he believed it—but Because I couldn’t be sure my sister hadn’t done exactly what they accused me of.

Still, I refused to answer. Silence was my only weapon now. If I couldn’t fight back, I could withhold.

“You’re pathetic,” Kael muttered, and turned his back to me.

I sat down slowly, folding myself onto the cold floor once more, even with the blanket around me. I didn’t dare approach the couch. That boundary was clearly drawn, you are not one of us. You never will be.

They moved around the space like I didn’t exist, preparing their meal. Sharing low conversations that I couldn’t hear. Wouldn’t have been welcome in, anyway. Occasionally, their eyes would flick my way. like they were checking to make sure I was still in my place, but otherwise, I was invisible again.

A ghost in their home.

A shadow in their lives.

And even though I was warmer now, cleaner, fed by a tiny sliver of vodka, I still felt the cold deep in my soul.

I thought of my sister, Lira.

The one they believed me to be.

The one who had, somehow, brought this pain into their lives.

What did you do to them?

The question screamed inside me.

But louder than that, pounding like a war drum behInd my ribs, was the need to get away.

Not just escape their home, but escape the hatred, the misplaced blame, the wallS closing in around a life that wasn’t even mine.

I needed to find Lira.

I needed to uncover the truth.

And I needed to do it before whatever they believed I had donE became something I would never be able to wash off.

Even with all the hot showers and stolen lotion in the world.